Australia will be partnering with the Pentagon for a Defense Space Command to counter threats, increasingly from Russia and China.

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton officially announced the launch of the Defense Space Command, with a goal to "invest in new military space capabilities to counter threats."

Dutton said the Australian Department of Defense and the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, which is part of the Defense Department, will cooperate on a "broad range of cooperative satellite activities which will expand Australia's space knowledge and capabilities."

"Our partnership will also contribute to the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office's pursuit of a more capable, integrated, and resilient space architecture to support global coverage in a wide range of intelligence mission requirements," Dutton said, according to The Hill.

Dutton said that the Defense Space Command was a step toward the nation's own Space Force, which he said Australia would need in the future. A "despot hell bent on reinstating Russia's imperial reach," alongside China's military buildup, had reinforced the importance of hard power, he added, according to The Washington Post.

"Here, in the Indo-Pacific, many nations have been subjected to different forms of Chinese government coercion over a sustained period," Dutton said.

The U.S. established its own Space Force in 2019 under former President Donald Trump.

Outside of space, the U.S. and Australia in September signed onto the AUKUS (abbreviated for Australia, United Kingdon, United States), an agreement between the two countries and the United Kingdom to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

The Australian Defense Space Command was first announced last year, with operations slated to begin Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.

Dutton said the space command will be staffed with personnel from Australia's three services — army, navy, and air force — as well as civil servants and industry contractors.

Dutton said that space will "undoubtedly become a domain which takes on greater military significance in this century."

"We know that some countries are developing capabilities to threaten or degrade space networks, to target satellites, and to destroy space systems," he said, pointing to Russia destroying its own Cosmos 1408 as part of an anti-satellite missile test.

"For any nation, losing access to space would have significant civil and military consequences. Thus all nations have an interest in assuring their access to space," Dutton said.

Related stories:

• Russian Space Chief: US Plans 'Genocide'
• Russia, China Water Down G20 Text on Geopolitical Tensions